1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical communication equipment and, more specifically but not exclusively, to optical pumping and powering in spatially multiplexed transmission links.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the invention(s). Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.
A long-haul optical transmission link often employs (i) optical amplifiers to boost the energy of transmitted optical signals and (ii) optical performance-monitoring devices to assess the quality of the communication channel established over the link. The placement of optical amplifiers and optical performance-monitoring devices is typically dictated by physical accessibility and the availability of external electrical power along the link. However, some locations (e.g., in remote areas or in the ocean) that would otherwise be optimal for the placement of these and other functional elements of the optical transmission link do not always have access to an electrical-power grid. As a result, the actual configuration of the optical transmission link may be sub-optimal, which may degrade certain performance characteristics of the link.